


I don’t wanna wake it up, the devil in me

by Toomanyfandoms99



Series: (No Longer A) Secret Marriage [17]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Greek Mythology - Freeform, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Secret Marriage, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2018-06-08
Packaged: 2019-05-19 12:45:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14873999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/pseuds/Toomanyfandoms99
Summary: Kevin stood up from his desk — the weight of the world on his shoulders — and went to the bunker library.  As usual, Dean and Sam were inside — the brothers were practically living there at this point.  They saw Kevin’s expression, and their faces fell instantly.“I’m sorry,” Kevin said, slapping the drawing on the table.The drawing was of Gabriel, chained upside down in one of Hell’s chambers, wings splayed out openly, Uriel gleefully extracting bronze feathers as the archangel’s body bled from various wounds.





	I don’t wanna wake it up, the devil in me

**Author's Note:**

> The title was taken from the song “Devil In Me” by Halsey. This is part 3 of a story arc. Enjoy!

Castiel appeared in Heaven’s headquarters to chaos. Angels were running back and forth, documents were flying, and red lights blared in every hallway. Cas zigzagged past collapsed desks and tipped chairs. He made his way to Gabriel’s office, pushing open the double doors. The archangel was flanked by Aphrodite and Balthazar at his desk.

Gabriel informed Cas, “an entire sector just went down.”

Castiel went to Gabriel’s computer monitor and gasped.

“What is it?” Gabriel asked.

“That’s Mary’s sector.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened. “As in Mary Winchester?!”

Rage filled Cas’s insides. He knew who would do this. The answer was glaringly clear. 

He looked at Gabriel, who confirmed, “it had to be Anna. She must have had help.”

“We have a mole,” Balthazar concluded. “Fantastic.”

“Aphra-”

“I’m on it, H.” The goddess disappeared.

Cas met Gabriel’s eyes. “Permission to-”

“Yes.”

Castiel teleported to the shutdown sector.

————

It had been a half hour since everything went dark, and Mary still couldn’t find a light.

Heaven wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

Something was terribly wrong, she knew that much. She had a horrible feeling in her gut that she needed to get out of her slice of Heaven somehow.

Which was why she was outside the house, trying to garner how far she could walk before something pushed her back.

Even Heaven had barriers. She had discovered this early on. But she had been walking for almost a mile now, with no end in sight.

Thankfully, a certain angel she knew found her.

Light enveloped her vision, Castiel’s face behind it. He made a matching light appear in front of Mary. “Hi Mary,” Cas greeted. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Mary couldn’t help but smile. “What’s going on?”

“Your sector is down. I’m evacuating everyone.”

Mary was suddenly curious. “Heaven has sectors?”

“Yes,” Cas replied. “Now come on.”

————

Castiel took Mary to Heaven’s offices, as well as the other confused inhabitants in her sector. Barring Mary, the others were safely locked away in various rooms with angels guarding them closely. Mary refused to go with the others, which Cas planned for.

As Cas took her down a hallway, he said, “you’re about to meet Gabriel, my older brother. It just so happens that Sam has developed feelings for him, so be nice.”

Mary’s smile was devious. “Really?”

“Try not to eat him alive. There’s a lot going on,” Cas cautioned.

Castiel opened the door to Gabriel’s office to find his brother consulting with two other angels. Upon seeing Cas, Gabriel sent the angels away, eyeing Mary curiously.

“Gabe, this is-”

“Mary Winchester,” Gabriel said with a grin. He stuck out his hand as she approached. “A pleasure.”

Mary matched his grin, shaking Gabriel’s hand. “You didn’t tell me your brother was such a gentleman, Cas.”

Gabriel blushed. “U-um, thank you. I’m not usually this flustered.”

“I’m flattered.”

Cas cleared his throat pointedly. “Want to get Mary caught up, Gabe?”

Gabriel quickly got back to business. “Okay, a bunch of angels from the other dimension that Jack rescued you from are trying to take down Heaven. And, from what I can tell, Mary, you don’t seem like someone who would just sit around and wait for the worst to happen.”

“You’re correct,” Mary said. “I would love to help.”

Gabriel smiled. “Wonderful. Your sector went down as a way to get our attention. This could mean that-”

“The building we’re in and the surrounding area may be a target,” Mary finished.

“Exactly.”

“So you’d like me to scout the area and protect as many people as possible?”

“You’re the only one in your sector with fighting and weapons experience, so yes. We call it the watchdog protocol,” Gabriel said.

“I’ll do it.”

“Just be careful,” Castiel reminded Mary. He didn’t want to be responsible for his mother-in-law getting hurt.

“I will,” Mary promised.

————

Dean was obsessed with Kevin’s drawings.

He sat for hours to examine each comic-style image, tracing over the lines and rereading the dialogue.

It was the only way he could be close to Cas, for the time being. And it was the only way to push the doubts and fears he had for his husband to the back of his mind.

————

Once Mary left the office, Gabriel got a message on angel radio from Aphrodite: “I found the mole. No one we know.”

Gabriel looked at Castiel. “Aphra-”

“I can hear her too,” Cas said.

Gabriel sent: “Did the mole have good information?”

Aphrodite sent: “He did. I know where Anna is. I’m spying on her now.”

Gabriel and Cas shared a look.

Gabriel sent: “H will be there momentarily.”

The mental link was closed off.

Gabriel started, “Cassie-”

“I’ll get as much information as I can before I relieve her of her head.”

Gabriel pursed his lips. He knew there was no arguing with Cas over this matter. Anna would die, one way or the other. And the faster all three heads were chopped off, the better. He ordered, “stay vigilant. Keep a clear head. I know you want revenge-”

“My head is clear,” Cas assured him. “And this isn’t all about revenge.”

Gabriel nodded, believing his brother. “Be careful. You’re instrumental in this war.”

Castiel nodded in understanding and left with a rustle of wings.

————

Every time Sam looked at Dean, he felt guilty for being slightly happy.

Sure, things around the bunker lost some of its color without Cas’s presence. Sure, everyone was a little melancholy that he was away. Sure, the fact that they couldn’t do anything about yet another angelic war sucked. 

But.

Sam had asked Gabriel on a date, and he said yes. After the war, Gabriel promised he would go out with him. Sam had the guts to do something about his feelings for Gabriel, and he felt accomplished.

Chuck knows what could be happening up in Heaven, but Gabriel had made a promise to him. And he felt a little giddy that Gabriel would come back to him.

For him.

So yeah, not knowing what Gabriel was doing right now — or if he was okay — was awful, but he had faith that Gabriel would return. 

Dean suddenly noticed that Sam was acting strangely. Dean eyed him from Cas’s library armchair, which he drew comfort from every time Cas was away. “Something’s up with you. What is it?”

“Nothing.”

Despite the funk that Dean was in, his curiosity got the better of him. “It’s not nothing. Did something happen in the Gatsby dimension?”

Sam decided not to play any games and deflect. He said casually, “if you’re referring to when I asked Gabe out, then yes, something happened in the Gatsby dimension.”

Dean smiled, a ghost of a thing. “You had the balls to do that?”

Sam gave his brother Bitch Face Number 12. “I have balls, Dean.”

“Did he say yes?”

Sam switched to Bitch Face Number 20. “Obviously.”

This got a delighted and prideful reaction from Dean, his first since Cas left. “Good job, Sammy.” Kevin suddenly burst through the doors with papers in his hands. The prophet approached Dean, a few drawings landing on his lap. Dean’s eyes widened. “Are these recent?”

“Yes. They’re almost in real time.”

Dean registered Sam by his side as he held up the first drawing. It was of Cas, bursting inside a room with Gabriel, Balthazar, and Aphrodite watching a computer monitor.

“That one must have been right after he left the bunker,” Kevin said.

The next drawing was of Cas in darkness, a single light guiding him to wherever he was going. The following image was of Cas and Mary.

“Mom?!” Dean and Sam exclaimed in unison.

Kevin blinked in shock. “That’s your mother?”

“Yeah,” Dean replied. “Why is she a part of this?”

“Keep looking,” Sam said.

Another drawing was of Cas and Mary looking at Gabriel behind a desk. Dean held a hand over his mouth, stifling laughs. Sam shot Dean Bitch Face Number 15. 

Dean removed his hand from his mouth. “I guess you don’t have to worry about your boyfriend meeting Mom.”

Sam huffed and crossed his arms. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

Dean winked. “Yet.”

Before Sam could retort, Dean went to the next image. It was of Cas and Aphrodite hiding as they scouted a warehouse.

The final drawing took Dean aback. It was of Cas looking down upon Anna angrily, Aphrodite gripping her shoulders so that she was on her knees.

It was Sam who was stifling laughs now. “Awkward.”

Dean narrowed his eyes at his younger brother. “If anyone is the king of sleeping with the enemy, it’s you.”

Instead of getting angry, Sam shrugged. Those days were over years ago. He felt like an entirely different person — an entirely different Sam Winchester — did those things. It must be how Dean feels upon seeing the drawing in front of him.

“Was that the last one, Kev?” Sam asked.

“The visions stopped after that one.”

“Why isn’t it like a comic book?”

Kevin shot Dean a look.

Dean repeated Cas’s correction, “graphic novel.”

Satisfied, Kevin said, “these visions are different. I’m just getting images, no words. They’re like scene changes.”

“Interesting.”

Realizing that Kevin looked fatigued, Sam said, “try and get some rest before more visions come, Kevin.”

Kevin nodded and left the library.

————

Castiel looked upon Anna, Aphrodite holding her in place.

He couldn’t help but see the Anna from his dimension. He was having a hard time taming his pure rage just by seeing her face.

The long-dead Anna’s reasons for betrayal were twofold. One, she wanted to feel something. But Cas knew there were other ways to feel something other than, oh, I don’t know, sleeping with his future husband. That one — to Cas’s own surprise — still affected him more than it should. Two, Anna wanted to mess with him. She was his worst sister because of her disregard for others, and how she enjoyed making others suffer. And she had always hated Castiel for some unknown reason. 

What better way to get under Cas’s skin than to sleep with the man he had feelings for?

Cas knew full well that the Anna in front of him was not the Anna that did those things. But the prophecy said she was still a betrayer in the other dimension. Cas understood that he wasn’t one to talk about betrayal. There was a big difference between them, though: Castiel betrayed for Dean, but Anna betrayed for her own selfish reasons. 

That was why any version of Anna was not worthy to be an angel. It was an angel’s job to protect others, a noble calling that got lost in translation as more and more time passed.

But oh, Castiel remembered.

Anna didn’t even get to speak a word before Cas had his angel blade against her throat. 

She looked willing to die. How interesting.

She wouldn’t get her wish just yet.

“Where are your friends?” Cas asked gruffly.

The fact that Anna seemed to be alone did nothing for Cas’s sanity. She was sacrificing herself by having no backup. And Cas wasn’t sure if this was a trap or not.

It probably was. But the trap would come later.

Anna said, “far away from here. You’ll never find them.”

Cas held back a smirk. That meant Uriel and Anubis weren’t in Heaven.

Castiel played along with Anna. “We’ll see about that.” As if it was an afterthought, he said, “I wonder if they would come up from underground if I executed you right now.”

Anna huffed. “They’re not that stupid.”

But oh, she was. Anna just confirmed Cas’s hunch. They were in Hell.

Cas played dumb. “That’s unfortunate.” He placed the tip of his blade along the hollow of Anna’s throat. He wasn’t going to give her the courtesy of last words. He glanced at Aphrodite, who had been silent and serious throughout the whole exchange. It seemed that the goddess wanted Anna dead too.

Castiel pressed his angel blade into Anna’s throat, watching as she choked and sputtered. Her grace dripped down her neck like a faucet, the life leaving her vessel slowly and painfully.

Aphrodite released Anna from her grip, Anna’s lifeless body hitting the ground as her grace turned to ash.

One down, two to go.

————

Jack stood up in the middle of dinner, catching everyone’s attention. He stared up at the ceiling, listening to whatever was going on in his head.

“Angel radio?” Dean asked.

“Yes,” Jack said absentmindedly. “I mentioned earlier that all I could hear was-”

“The enemy has three heads?” 

“Yes, well,” Jack said, “now they’re saying the enemy has two heads.”

Dean and Sam shared a look. 

“So, one down?” Sam inquired.

“And two to go,” Jack confirmed. The nephilim sat back down, tuning out angel radio. Without another word, the bunker family continued eating dinner.

————

Balthazar was getting tired of all the inaction.

He knew his job of protecting the angel babies was of paramount importance, but he wanted to be on the battlefield. It was where the majority of seraphim thrived, after all.

Eventually, though, the action came to him.

The nursery went dark, Balthazar thanking the sleeping spell he cast earlier for keeping the children asleep. He took out his sai swords and stood by the locked door, prepared for anything.

It turned out that he wasn’t prepared to be faced with Uriel himself.

The mole did more damage than Aphrodite thought before she sliced his throat.

Uriel smirked as he entered the nursery. “Hello Balthazar. I’m surprised you aren’t dead in this world yet.”

“Me too,” Balthazar said truthfully. “But in this world I outlive you, honey.”

Uriel raised his angel blade menacingly. Balthazar took it as a threat. This was a nursery with innocent babies, for Christ’s sake.

Balthazar twirled his sai swords. “Don’t you take another step.”

“Scared?” Uriel taunted.

“You’re threatening children. You’ve made the worst fucking mistake of your life.” Balthazar held one of his swords horizontally, the point towards Uriel’s heart. “It’s you who should be scared.”

Balthazar teleported Uriel with him, away from the babies, setting off the alarm.

————

When Gabriel saw the alarm, he couldn’t breathe.

The children. They were in danger.

He summoned all the weapons he could carry, lining them inside his coat. On the way out of his office, he ran into Mary.

She kept up with his hurried pace. “What’s the matter?”

“I need you to hold down the fort. The building next door is in trouble.”

“Shouldn’t I come and help you, then?”

“No. There’s a bunch of defenseless people in this building, and you didn’t ask to be a part of this fight.”

“You could be walking into a trap.”

“I’m counting on it,” Gabriel said.

Mary sighed. “Be careful. I don’t think Sam will like it if you die.”

Gabriel stopped walking and faced Mary. “I won’t.” Gabriel laughed a little. “I’m kind of impressed at your low blow there.” 

Mary smirked. “Just go.”

Gabriel went.

————

The first thing Gabriel did was get a pack of angels to protect the children. The second thing Gabriel did was wonder where Balthazar went. He cast a spell, following Balthazar’s footsteps.

He found Balthazar in the monochrome dimension, bleeding out on the floor.

“Bali!” Gabriel rushed to his brother’s side.

Balthazar said warily, “hey Gabe. How’s it going?”

“Dammit Bali,” Gabriel said, “now’s not the time for humor.” The archangel started to heal Balthazar, the seraphim remaining silent until his wounds were sealed shut.

Then, Balthazar said, “it was Uriel.”

Gabriel flinched. “What?!”

“I couldn’t beat him,” Balthazar said, defeated, “I couldn’t-”

“It’s okay,” Gabriel said soothingly. “That doesn’t matter. I’m glad that you’re okay.”

Balthazar took a calming breath and nodded. “I’m glad he didn’t get to you or Cassie instead.”

“Did you get a few hits in?”

Balthazar smirked. “I got him running scared, so you tell me.”

“Good. Now let’s g-”

Gabriel felt a pair of hands grab, a sack being tied around his head, Balthazar screaming as Gabriel’s vision went black.

————

When Castiel reached Gabriel’s office, he didn’t expect Balthazar to be having a tantrum. Papers were flying, glass was broken, and objects were being thrown.

And Balthazar was usually the calm one.

“Balthazar!” Cas yelled.

Balthazar stopped, took a deep breath, and faced him. “Uriel took Gabe.”

“What?!”

“We beat each other to a pulp but he still got the drop on me.”

Cas sighed. “Don’t blame yourself. We need a plan.”

Balthazar took another breath, centering himself. He cast a spell to clean up the mess he made in Gabriel’s office. “Okay. You’re the genius. Make one.”

Castiel pursed his lips. “Don’t be like this right now. Get your head in the game.”

A beat. “Fine. Did you learn anything before you decapitated Anna?”

“Uriel and Anubis are headquartered in Hell somewhere. That’s probably where they took Gabe.”

“Shit.”

“Indeed.”

After a long pause, Balthazar met Cas’s eyes, a familiar spark in them. “The enemy had three heads.” He smirked. “Is there anything else you can think of that has three heads?”

Castiel thought for a moment.

The realization crashed upon him like a wave.

“Now look who’s the genius,” Cas said proudly.

“I applied myself.”

“Wait,” Cas said, “Anubis has my powers.”

“He doesn’t have your scent, does he?”

Castiel’s smirk returned. “He doesn’t.”

————

Castiel went to one of Westminster Abbey’s many secret underground chambers, sealing himself inside. He removed a dusty tarp from a pile of bones that he hadn’t unearthed in centuries.

Anubis didn’t know about this. He didn’t know about Cas’s wild card, a wild card that Cas never thought he would have to play.

He spoke the Ancient Greek spell with his eyes closed, the bones levitating and forming into their desired shape. Fur materialized around the bones, a heart and muscle structure formulating out of thin air. Black eyes and a nose and a scary snarl were last as claws scraped the concrete ground.

Castiel opened his eyes, and was faced with his favorite watchdog.

Three heads sniffed Cas curiously, inhaling his scent greedily. Cas held out his hand, the middle head’s bowing to its touch.

Once Castiel’s palm rested on the soft furry head, he said, “hello, Cerberus.”

Cerberus’s middle head exhaled deeply at the sound of the name, eyes meeting Cas’s almost shyly.

Castiel smiled kindly at the three-headed dog. “Are you ready to work, old pal?”

The left head panted happily, the right head’s eyes glistened, and the middle head withdrew from Cas’s hand with a resolute expression.

“Good.”

————

“Ga-who are you?”

Balthazar looked up as Mary waltzed into Gabriel’s office. Balthazar held out his hand. “I’m Balthazar, Gabe and Cassie’s-”

“Other brother,” Mary said, shaking his hand.

“You must be the infamous Mary Winchester.”

“How did you know?”

“You have Dean’s hair and Sam’s eyes.”

“I’ve never gotten that one before.”

“I’ve never lead Heaven before, but here I am.” Balthazar gestured around him.

“Did something happen to Gabriel and Cas?”

Balthazar huffed. “Gabe got captured while protecting me, and Cassie is preparing.”

“For what?”

“The endgame. Gabe might be trapped down there for a while, though.”

“Down where?”

“Hell.”

“He’s in Hell?!”

“Hush,” Balthazar put a finger to his lips, “the doors are still open.”

Mary glanced behind her and kept her tone quieter. She said remorsefully, “I should have gone with him.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. You need to guard this place now. You’re our watchdog.”

“Gabriel said that too. Watchdog. What does it mean?”

“Angels call it the watchdog protocol. We make sure each sector has someone with fighting and weapons experience. And we can’t afford to extract any more watchdogs to help you in case another sector goes down.”

“I’ve always enjoyed a challenge, anyway,” Mary said resolutely.

Balthazar smirked. “You’re definitely a Winchester.”

————

When Kevin brushed off a new drawing, he was filled with dread.

He didn’t want to deliver this to the Winchester brothers. He didn’t want to see their faces when they saw it. 

Kevin stood up from his desk — the weight of the world on his shoulders — and went to the bunker library. As usual, Dean and Sam were inside — the brothers were practically living there at this point. They saw Kevin’s expression, and their faces fell instantly.

“I’m sorry,” Kevin said, slapping the drawing on the table.

The drawing was of Gabriel, chained upside down in one of Hell’s chambers, wings splayed out openly, Uriel gleefully extracting bronze feathers as the archangel’s body bled from various wounds.

“Jesus,” Dean said sympathetically.

Sam swallowed thickly, unable to speak. Dean clapped a hand over Sam’s shoulder as a sign of comfort. Sam leaned into the gesture a little, clenching his jaw to get ahold of himself.

Kevin decided to take his leave. This was painful for him, too.

————

Jack had taken to going on grocery runs when all of the stores were closed.

Since the bunker was on lockdown and Castiel made him the official protector, the nephilim was responsible for any amenities his family needed. So he would go on store runs — mainly for food — every few days and leave money mysteriously on the counter.

Only this time, Castiel was inside the store waiting for him.

Jack kept his guard up. “Castiel.”

Cas spoke the code they had agreed upon. “Bees have five eyes.”

Jack relaxed. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to check up on you. How is everyone?”

Jack started to take items from various aisles, Cas keeping pace with him. “Kevin is having visions. He just saw Gabriel...” the nephilim swallowed a lump in his throat. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

“He’s being tortured, isn’t he?”

Jack met Castiel’s weary eyes. “By the one you call Uriel.”

Cas sighed. “What about everyone else?”

“Everyone is trying to hold Kevin, Sam, and Dean together. It’s hardest on the three of them.”

Castiel looked guilty. “Of course.”

Jack gathered the last of the requested items. “Do you plan on contacting Dean?”

Cas deflated. “I…”

Jack stopped in his tracks, facing Castiel. “You need to. You promised.”

Cas swallowed, staring at his shoes. “I know. It’s just...I don’t know.”

Jack studied Cas. “There’s a lot going on in your head right now. Is it because you don’t want to be compromised? That you don’t want to lose sight of your task?”

Castiel looked up in disbelief. He almost forgot that Jack could read minds. Jack didn’t make a habit of it, but Cas understood that he was trying to comprehend Cas’s thought process. He confirmed, “that’s what the soldier in me is telling me. I can’t hide anything from you, can I?”

Jack smiled meekly. “Nope.” He left money on one of the store counters. He reminded Cas gently, “you made a promise, Castiel. Talk to Dean.”

The nephilim zapped away.

————

When Jack told the bunker the next morning that he saw Castiel, Dean nearly busted a gasket.

It took a few minutes to calm him down, Sam grasping his shoulder and providing comfort.

Dean finally looked at Jack again. “I’m not mad-”

“Just disappointed?” 

Dean snorted, which was a good sign compared to the state he was just in. “Cas is just being obstinate and ridiculous, that’s all. I forgot that he gets like this, sometimes.”

The bunker clan observed Dean, feeling helpless to aid in Dean’s plight. None of them had ever known that about Castiel. It was yet another thing they didn’t know about him and his marriage to Dean.

Despite learning of Dean and Cas’s marriage, it was still an open secret. The marriage was common knowledge, but the details remained shrouded in mystery.

Castiel seemed so perfect, sometimes, that it was easy to forget he was practically a human being, with plenty of flaws.

Jack addressed Dean. “If Castiel doesn’t contact you soon, I’ll track him down and slap him.”

Dean almost chuckled. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’d rather you punch his arm. He has a nice face.”

A few members of the family snorted and chuckled.

“You got it,” Jack said.

————

Every time Dean closed his eyes, he was assaulted with images of Cas.

He figured it was the bond’s way of compensating for their prolonged separation.

Each little memory, — despite being joyful and amazing and perfect — filled him with melancholy.

Cas, in the passenger’s seat of Baby, staring as droplets of rain fell down the window. Cas, driving Baby with an intense concentration, understanding how important Dean’s car was to him, and how it needed to be treated with the utmost care. Cas, watching a movie by his side, his expression peaceful. Cas, fighting next to him, his face stained with blood but his eyes determined. Cas, curled up his library armchair and reading a book. Cas, rolling his eyes fondly at something Dean said. Cas, smiling softly at Dean, a smile that always sucker punched Dean’s heart at the simplicity and sweetness of it. Cas, laughing melodically as he baked pie with Dean. Cas, singing to Dean, serenading him in a breathy tone. Cas, waking up beside Dean, his eyes tranquil and loving. Cas, kissing him and holding him and pressing their bodies together. Cas, kissing Dean’s freckles, creating his own on Dean’s shoulders. Cas, in the shower with him, rivulets traveling down his body. Cas, running his hands all over Dean, leaving flames in his wake. Cas, resting their foreheads together as they breathed each other in. Cas, watching Dean curiously as he took a Polaroid of him. Cas, lying in their bed, in all his naked glory. Cas, breathlessly speaking in Enochian whenever they made love. Cas, draping his wings over Dean as he caught his breath.

Cas, looking at him with unparalleled love as they got married.

Dean could barely breathe when these memory flashes attacked his mind. But they reminded him just how much he loves his husband, and he wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything.

————

It took longer than Dean thought for Charlie, Jo, and the wayward sisters to find Kevin’s graphic novel. But once they did, Dean was thoroughly entertained at the comments they had about each page and panel and line of dialogue.

It distracted Dean for a few precious hours from mulling on somber thoughts.

————

It took another day for Cas to appear in a shared dreamscape with Dean.

It had been a while since Dean had been to their cabin. It was a welcome comfort.

He found Cas on the couch, his knees pulled up to his chin. Dean took a deep breath, Cas startled at his sudden presence. “Darlin’,” Dean greeted.

Cas looked afraid and remorseful. Dean knelt in front of the cushions, Cas peering down at him. “I’m sorry,” Cas mumbled.

“It’s okay,” Dean said. “Wanna go outside?”

“Outside?”

Dean’s occasional spontaneity never failed to work wonders on Cas. Dean stood up and offered his hand. “C’mon.”

Curiously, Cas took his hand and let Dean lead him to the porch. Dean concentrated on an empty space and closed his eyes. He imagined what he wanted, and — to his surprise — it appeared.

A porch swing now filled the empty space in front of their cabin. Dean smiled victoriously and pulled his husband towards the swing. “Lay down.”

Cas raised an eyebrow but complied. As he got comfortable, Dean laid down next to him, the porch swing swaying.

Dean, an inch away from Cas, whispered shyly, “hi, darlin’.”

“We could have just laid on the couch.”

Dean smiled at his husband’s bluntness. “I’m trying to be romantic.”

“Ah, I see.”

Dean focused on the blue irises he so revered. “Are you okay out there?”

Cas refused to meet his gaze. “I won’t be for long.”

Dean sucked in a breath. “You came here because you’re about to do something dangerous.”

Cas nodded in affirmation. “I need to get my brother back.”

That was something Dean could understand. 

“Did Kevin-”

“No,” Dean replied, “not since the Gabriel vision.”

“They’ll probably be back with a vengeance.”

Dean tilted Cas’s chin so that his husband would look him in the eyes. He said in a hushed tone, “don’t take unnecessary risks. Come home to me.”

His eyes filled with tears, Cas nodded. “I will.”

“I love you. Remember that, okay? I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

Dean leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Cas’s lips. “Now, do you wanna just...lay here with me?”

Dean studied Cas’s answering smile, the bond flaring up. Dean held Cas close, and they laid on the porch swing in comfortable silence for the rest of the night.

————

Gabriel was pretty sure sewing his mouth shut was crossing a line. It forced him to hold back any sound, and it became quite painful to do so.

Thankfully, he had already screamed himself hoarse. He was never good with torture. He was more annoyed than broken, though.

Eventually, however, Gabriel noticed something.

Uriel had the ring of Hades. Not Anubis. And oh, Uriel’s stupidity and ignorance delighted Gabriel.

When Gabriel was left alone, he activated the powers of Hermes. Uriel had no idea that he had kidnapped the messenger god. Gabriel summoned a magic dove to his side, which had a strip of paper and pen in its beak. Gabriel smiled wanly at the trusty bird and slowly but surely wrote a message. He tucked the message in the dove’s beak, motioning for it to fly to Heaven.

He hoped Castiel or Balthazar got it in time.

————

Aphrodite broke through the barricades that Castiel and Balthazar created in Gabriel’s office.

“Aphra, what-”

She held out a small strip of paper. “One of our couriers found this.”

Castiel took the paper, reading the message: “Uriel has the ring.”

Castiel’s eyes widened, Balthazar reading the message and sighing in relief. “This means I have a chance to get my powers back before-”

“Anubis does something crazy,” Balthazar said.

Balthazar, Castiel, and Aphrodite altered their plans.

————

After another compromised sector was safe and tucked away, Castiel had some time with Mary.

“How goes planning?” Mary asked.

“It’s going good. We can mount a rescue mission really soon.”

“That’s good. I like your brother.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow. “That’s a new one.”

“You can tell Sam that I approve the match.”

“Did you already approve me?” Cas made sure to leave the trepidation out of his voice.

“Oh, of course. Years ago. In fact, if Dean hadn’t made a move by the time I met you, I would have smacked that boy silly until he got a clue.”

Cas laughed, the soft sound taking Mary aback. Castiel still surprised her, even after a few years of knowing him. Mary wondered if this was how Dean felt, even after over a decade in each other’s company. 

Cas said, “I appreciate the sentiment, but you might ruin Dean’s face. I’d rather you not ruin such a nice face.”

Mary smiled. “I’ve always meant to ask. Are you sure Jack isn’t your son? He visits sometimes, and you two are scarily alike.”

“He might as well be my son, but not by blood.” He laughed a little. “Bobby always says that.”

“What?”

“Family don’t end in blood. It’s Bobby’s motto.”

“That’s a good one. Too bad I haven’t met him.”

“Maybe you will when he dies again.”

They both realized at the same time how absurd the statement was, bursting into laughter.

“Our lives are insane,” Cas mused.

“Cassie.”

Castiel glanced up at Balthazar, whose shadow suddenly enveloped them. Balthazar said, “it’s time.”

Mary prompted, “for?”

“I have to finalize our plans,” Cas said, standing up. He offered a hand to Mary, who took it and lifted herself up.

“I’ll keep everything secure,” Mary said.

“Good. I’ll see you soon, Mary.”

“See you, Cas.”

Once Mary was out of earshot, Balthazar teased, “you’re really laying it on thick with your mother-in-law, aren’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. You must have me confused with Gabe.”

Balthazar paused. “Good point.”

————

Claire busted into the bunker library, sitting next to a weary Dean. “So, you had one of those dream things?”

Dean huffed. “As I explained at breakfast-”

“I understand. I’m just trying to make conversation.”

Dean closed his book. “What’s got you so desperate that you wanna talk to me?”

“Nothing.”

“Uh huh…”

Claire held up her hands. “Okay, fine. I have a question.”

“What?”

Claire swallowed apprehensively. “How long did you and Cas wait to...you know?”

Dean blinked. “A few months.”

“Ah.”

Dean caught on and cautioned, “don’t rush anything with Kaia. You’re still young, kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“You’re half my age. That makes you a kid.”

Teenage Claire would have snapped at him like a rabid dog. But she was a calm, rational adult now. “Okay. I get it.”

Dean was surprised at the change in Claire. She had grown up. It had snuck up on him. He added, “you’ll know when you’re ready. You won’t have to ask me.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Dean’s eyes widened as Claire left. “Mom?!”

The last thing Dean heard was Claire’s echoing laughter before she was gone.

————

“I view them the exact opposite way,” Jack said. “How interesting.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Cas is Mom and Dean is Dad?”

“That’s just what I see.”

“Interesting,” Patience mused.

————

Castiel was freaking out.

Here he was, standing before the gates of Hell, about to rescue Gabriel, and he was having a miniature crisis. So much could go wrong here, and Cas didn’t want to die at the hands of Uriel.

He summoned Cerberus, his watchdog itching for a fight. Cas reached out a hand, Cerberus calming down, doing wonders for the seraphim’s nerves. Cas checked his weapons, grasping the hilt of his angel grace sword.

With one final glance at Cerberus, they entered Hell like a single organism.

Gabriel’s signature was strong. Castiel wouldn’t have far to travel, which was a welcome realization. He let his sword guide him as it glowed blue, hearing Cerberus’s claws tap the ground with every footstep.

It didn’t take long until they were discovered. The dark tunnel was lit by torches on the walls, Cas readying his fighting stance. He heard Cerberus growl as demons approached to attack. Castiel dispatched them with simple sword strokes, Cerberus clawing at a few himself.

As they continued on, demons arrived in waves, but they were no match for Cas and an angry three-headed dog.

Cas eventually reached Gabriel’s confines, sensing his brother’s presence on the other side of the double doors. Castiel quickly healed his minor wounds, steeling himself. He checked Cerberus and found no injuries on the immortal dog.

“Ready?” Cas asked.

Cerberus’s three heads panted happily.

“Good.” Castiel kicked open the door.

As expected, Uriel was tracing a particularly nasty cut on Gabriel’s cheek. What Cas wasn’t expecting, though, was his brother’s mouth to be sewn shut.

That only made Cas angrier.

Uriel had no time to react before Cerberus had his body between the middle head’s jaws. Uriel screamed as the dog wagged its head back and forth, Cerberus’s disgusting drool ruining Uriel’s pinstripe suit.

Cas smiled darkly and released Gabriel from his chains. Castiel whistled, Cerberus letting go of Uriel and depositing his screaming body in front of Gabriel. Cas summoned Gabriel’s favorite knife. He held it out to him. “Do the honors.”

Gabriel glanced at Uriel, then back at Cas. He grasped the hilt of his knife. Without another second of hesitation, Gabriel plunged his knife into Uriel’s neck, watching angel grace spill from his throat and turn to ash.

Once the room settled, Cas said, “now get out of here.”

Gabriel shook his head.

Castiel sighed. “Sorry about this.” He spoke an Enochian spell, casting the archangel back to Heaven.

Cas huffed and walked over to Uriel’s unmoving body. He knelt down and extracted the ring of Hades from Uriel’s finger.

He’d killed for less.

He put the ring on his finger, starting the ritual to get his powers back.

————

Jack shot up from the dinner table like a rocket, clutching his stomach.

“Jack?!” Dean exclaimed, standing up in concern.

Jack straightened a few seconds later. “Gabriel needs help. I have to go.”

Sam stood up. “I’m coming with you.”

A few family members shared knowing looks, including Dean, who sat back down. Jack and Sam teleported away.

After a beat, Bobby said, “goddamn.”

“Sam was way too eager,” Donna said jokingly.

“Boy’s got it bad,” Jody agreed.

Charlie grinned. “Welcome to the hunter-angel fan club.”

————

Sam and Jack went to Gabriel’s cloud. They rushed over once they saw Gabriel healing himself.

With his mouth sewn shut.

Sam felt a punch to the gut, sucking the air out of his lungs, his heart bleeding in empathy. “Gabe,” Sam said.

Gabriel’s eyes widened upon seeing Sam and Jack.

Sam went to his side and said gently, “sit down, please.”

Gabriel obediently sat on his couch, much to the hunter’s surprise. Sam knelt in front of the couch cushions. Jack materialized a pair of scissors. Sam took them, noticing Gabriel clench his jaw.

“Hey,” Sam said softly, “relax, okay? You’re fine. Try and hold still.”

Gabriel’s eyes met his, then he nodded in affirmation. 

Gabriel trusted him. He really trusted him.

Sam withdrew from his gaze, holding up the scissors. He carefully cut through each thread on Gabriel’s lips, somehow keeping a steady hand.

He was always better at stitching up wounds than Dean, he supposed.

Once the final thread was cut, Sam noticed that Gabriel had been watching him intently the entire time. Sam met his eyes again for a purposeful beat, handing the scissors to Jack and standing up again. “Fix him up,” Sam said to Jack, moving a few paces away to give the nephilim space.

Sam observed Gabriel’s cloud while he waited, trying to understand as much about the archangel as possible. The sheer amount of strange baubles and objects scattered about only made Sam more befuddled. If this cloud was a depiction of the angel living on top of it, Sam figured that it would take him a lifetime to understand Gabriel.

He kind of hoped it did.

Sam heard Jack and Gabriel shifting, so he turned his attention back to the couch. Any trace that Gabriel was distressed and injured had vanished. He looked like he always did, except for the downcast expression he was wearing.

Sam inhaled. “Need to get back out there?”

Gabriel stood up. “Yeah. Father knows what my brothers are doing right now.”

“Okay. See you, then.”

Jack approached Sam’s side.

“Sam?”

Jack paused. Sam asked Gabriel hopefully, “yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Sam fought back a blush. “No problem.”

At that, Jack teleported Sam back home.

————

“Two down, one to go,” Jack announced to the bunker.

————

Castiel secured an entire section of Hell with Cerberus by his side.

Once the demons were all killed in the area, Cas barricaded himself in his old chamber, the one he had when he was temporary ruler of Hell during the last war.

It didn’t take long for his reinforcements to arrive.

With the powers of Hades running through him, Cas was pleased to see Balthazar as Dionysus zap into the chamber. He was followed by Aphrodite, Artemis, and Apollo.

Cerberus stuck one of his heads out of the shadows, sniffing Artemis. Aphrodite and Apollo were shocked to see the three-headed dog there, and so subdued. Artemis smiled at Cerberus, running a hand along his fur.

“He likes you,” Cas said fondly. “And it’s good to see you both.”

Artemis nodded at Cerberus, the dog retreating back into the shadows. “We felt partially responsible for all of this.”

“So here we are!” Apollo said cheerily. His face fell. “This place is so dark it itches.”

“Oh, hush,” Artemis said. “You’ve got light here.”

“If by light, you mean fire,” Apollo said sadly. “I hate fire.”

“Stop whining. Gods,” Artemis said, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Cas said, “you’re not responsible. You just so happened to have some visions and get a prophecy.”

Artemis eyed Cas curiously. “You’ve changed quite a bit over the past few years, Hades.”

Castiel shrugged. Perhaps he has.

Balthazar said, “alright, let’s get down to business.”

————

Kevin’s visions returned with a vengeance, just as Cas predicted.

Dean and Sam examined the drawings. Gabriel summoning a dove, giving it a message. Aphrodite handing Cas and Balthazar that very message. Mary and Cas helping people. 

And then there was one of Cas with a three-headed dog.

“Cerberus is real?!” Sam exclaimed. 

“From what I gather,” Kevin said, “Cas and Cerberus are bound together somehow.”

“That’s so cool. Right, Dean?”

Dean said dreamily, “Cas is so cool.”

“Don’t make it weird.”

Dean smiled bashfully. “Sorry.”

The next image was of Cas releasing Gabriel. Sam shuddered at the quality of the drawing. No one deserved to have their mouth sewn shut. Dean looked at Sam sympathetically. 

Sam didn’t meet Dean’s gaze and moved to the final drawing. It was of Gabriel killing Uriel, painfully and mercilessly.

“Respect,” Dean commented.

Sam rolled his eyes.

————

As soon as Gabriel went to his office, the power went out, encompassing the building in darkness. Gabriel rushed down the stairs and ran into Mary, who was carrying a flashlight. “Gabriel! I’m glad you’re alright.”

Gabriel started walking to where Mary came from, the woman following. “Looks like I got back just in time.”

Mary nodded. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Still in Hell, presumably trying to end this.”

“They should be able to handle things. I have faith.”

Gabriel smiled. “It seems that a Winchester’s faith is a powerful weapon, indeed.”

That’s when Gabriel and Mary heard gunfire outside the building. Their eyes met, and they rushed to the entrance, materializing weapons.

Gabriel observed Mary’s shotgun appreciatively. “I see you’ve learned about Heaven’s perks.”

Mary shot him a Sam-like smile. “Figured it out within an hour.”

Gabriel and Mary reached the lobby, other angels creating a line of defense near the locked entrance, weapons at the ready. Gabriel and Mary settled behind the defense barricade, an angel appearing at Gabriel’s side. He explained, “someone is controlling inhabitants of Heaven and making them attack.”

Gabriel nodded in understanding, the angel taking his leave. “Anubis. He’s controlling them from Hell somehow.” Gabriel glanced at the locked door, which was slowly being kicked in. “Cassie must be close to finding him.”

“We have to hold them off?” Mary asked.

“Set your phasers to stun.”

“Yes, Captain.” She switched her weapon out, Gabriel doing the same.

Gabriel grinned. “I’m so glad you got that joke.”

The door burst open, people with glowing red eyes raining bullets into the lobby. Gabriel and Mary flattened against the barricade, other angels charging and stunning Anubis’s unwilling minions.

Gabriel held up a finger, and counted to three silently. On three, Gabriel and Mary let loose a barrage of electric bullets, stunning the last people standing.

Until a person inhabited by a projection of Anubis himself entered the lobby.

Anubis had taken a cue from Lucifer, his eyes blood red and emitting an aura of choking blackness. Gabriel sent away his angel soldiers, him and Mary pointing their guns at Anubis threateningly.

Anubis only smiled.

Gabriel steeled his gaze. “My brother’s coming for you, asshole.”

“Is he now?”

Gabriel held back a laugh at Anubis’s second rate villain voice. “You’re wasting your time here. This wasn’t a smart move.”

“But it got you angry, didn’t it?” Anubis laughed cruelly, the sound echoing in the empty lobby.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “I’ll see you at your funeral.” Gabriel added playfully, “oh wait, you won’t have one. Goodbye.”

Mary stunned Anubis’s vessel, the god leaving as the person fell unconscious. “That felt good,” Mary said.

Gabriel smirked, and decided that he adored Mary Winchester.

————

Castiel, Balthazar, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, and Cerberus tore Hell apart bit by bit. They used their powers mercilessly, turning demons and monsters to dust as they advanced towards Anubis’s throne room.

Anubis must know they were coming to kill him, but he didn’t know that Cas had his powers back.

The gods reached the final stretch to the throne room.

Castiel surveyed the fight appreciatively for a moment. Balthazar as Dionysus wielded dual blades dipped in poison, casting sleeping spells with his hypnotic mauve eyes. Aphrodite used pink tendrils to drug her enemies, giving them roundhouse kicks and tough punches to knock them down.

Before they had begun the battle, Castiel had asked Aphrodite, “are you sure you want to fight?”

Aphrodite smirked and countered with, “what’s the one thing everyone forgets about love?”

Castiel had matched her smirk and said, “that love hurts.”

And that was why he was friends with the goddess of love.

Meanwhile, Apollo used light from the torches to blind demons, making them burn to ash from the purity of it. Artemis created her own shadow monsters, fighting darkness with darkness to increasing success. Cerberus was at Cas’s side, clawing and biting at anyone that got too close to his master.

Castiel smiled at the fight, surprised at how he got a pack of Greek gods to work together, and jumped back into the fray.

Darkness tendrils circled his body, Cas using his gray eyes to command them forward. They put holes through demons and delighted in their screams. Cas swung his sword at any monster that dared attack him, turning them to ash with a single stroke.

Oh, he did enjoy being Hades, sometimes.

It took only a few moments longer for Anubis’s forces to be converted to dust. The gods all looked at each other, taking a breath.

“This is fun,” Artemis said happily.

“No it isn’t,” Apollo muttered.

“Where’s Hermes, by the way?” Artemis asked.

“Recovering,” Castiel replied. 

The twins chose not to press for more information.

“Okay,” Balthazar said, “are we ready?”

There were nods in affirmation all around.

Balthazar kicked open the door, the gods facing Anubis on his throne.

Anubis grinned, a glint in his eyes. “Welcome!” He addressed Castiel. “I see you’ve brought friends. How smart of you.” He snapped his fingers, an entire host of disgusting monsters appearing out of thin air. Anubis looked at each creature lovingly. “Get them. Leave Hades to me.”

The monsters approached the other gods like they were tasty snacks. Balthazar, Aphrodite, Artemis, and Apollo formed a circle, Anubis’s unspeakable creations closing in on them.

Anubis held up his hand, Castiel being lifted into the air and pulled towards the throne, his throat constricted. Anubis stood up, meeting Cas in the middle. Cas felt his lungs closing, but he kept his expression angry and resolute. There was no way Castiel would let Anubis see him struggle or look weak.

Anubis glanced up at Cas’s face, his blood red eyes piercing through his gray ones. “I’m impressed that you took care of Anna and Uriel. I didn’t think you would be able to do it without your powers.”

If Castiel could breathe, he would have a sassy quip — probably something about being a terrible Darth Vader — ready and voiced. Cas settled for staring at Anubis defiantly and murderously.

Anubis laughed. “All of that is of no consequence, anyway. You did me a favor. Now I have you all to myself.”

Cas tried to suck in air. Any air would do at this point.

Anubis snapped his fingers, releasing Cas from his hold. Cas took a single heavy breath, calming his racing heart. Now on solid ground, Cas kept his expression threatening.

Anubis laughed even more. “That little move has most crying on the floor. Impressive.” Anubis materialized a sword. “It’s a shame you’ll have to die.”

Castiel got a final glimpse of his allies fighting the monsters before Anubis teleported them both away.

————

Jack jolted upwards at dinner, his eyes glowing orange. 

Dean was immediately at attention. “What is it?”

“Castiel is fighting the final head of the enemy.”

“Is he hurt?” Dean didn’t bother to hide his crippling concern.

“Not yet.”

“Yet?!”

Jack was silent, his eyes turning back to blue. He sank into his chair. “There’s nothing I can do yet.”

Dean huffed, sulking like a petulant child.

————

Once the Greek gods dispatched Anubis’s monsters, they realized that Castiel and Anubis were gone, as was Cerberus.

“Shit,” Balthazar muttered under his breath.

“Can we figure out where Anubis took H?” Aphrodite asked, full of concern for her friend.

“Anubis probably took him somewhere we can’t go without facing third degree burns,” Balthazar said.

“Perhaps I can help him,” Artemis suggested. “I am a goddess of darkness, after all. We are cut from the same cloth.”

Balthazar nodded. “Try it. I need to check on Hermes.”

————

Balthazar went to Gabriel’s office, surprised to see the archangel healed and with Mary.

“Bali?!”

Balthazar realized that there was monster blood all over him. Balthazar snapped his fingers, his clothes cleaning instantly. “I’m okay. Cassie, however-”

“What happened?” Gabriel demanded.

“He’s fighting Anubis. You should get down there. You’re strong enough to withstand the arena of fire.”

Gabriel glanced at Mary, who said, “Balthazar and I will be fine.”

Gabriel nodded, patting Balthazar on the shoulder before disappearing.

————

This was the deadliest arena Castiel had ever been inside. 

Maybe this was how Gabriel felt when he had to fight Michael: staggeringly afraid, whilst trying to seem nonplussed.

Anubis and Castiel matched each other blow for blow. Cas used every trick in the book to try and subdue Anubis, but it only made him angrier.

And with anger came more power. That was the key, Cas realized.

Anger.

He didn’t have enough of it, at the moment. He could hardly keep up with Anubis’s blows.

Castiel instinctually blocked Anubis’s barrage of attacks, thinking about things that made him angry. He was angry when he discovered that he was a worthless and expendable seraphim in his superior’s eyes. He was angry when he was bullied as a child and didn’t have the guts to fight back. He was angry when Gabriel — the only person besides Balthazar that made him feel like more than a tool — was ripped away from him, forcibly exiled to a dark corner of the world. He was angry when Balthazar was taken from him too, — shortly after Gabriel — the brothers torn apart for decades. He was angry when he learned that he was constantly brainwashed to be a compliant warrior of God. He was angry when he had to learn and relearn with each memory wipe that he was in love, so in love with Dean that it hurt. He was angry when he started to become more and more fractured, split apart from Dean after his superiors discovered his affections for the hunter. He was angry when Dean would get torn away from him, — in instances such as this — when all he wanted was to kiss Dean and hold Dean and make love to Dean, his husband, his everything.

And just like that, Castiel Winchester was stronger than Anubis.

Cas pushed forward, gaining the upper hand. Anubis’s eyes widened in surprise when Cas was able to push him back a few feet. Cas attacked relentlessly as he thought of Dean and how he had to keep leaving him, keep doing the heroic thing, keep having to deal with jokers like Anubis. A whole new layer of anger that Cas didn’t know existed rose from the depths of his soul. He used every ounce of it, about to deliver the killing blow when-

Castiel felt the air being sucked out of his lungs again, Anubis’s eyes bleeding with reserved power. Cas was choking and clenching his jaw and trying not to faint and-

That’s when Gabriel and Artemis appeared out of nowhere, swords raised behind Anubis.

Artemis materialized a shadowy hand, wrapping its claws securely around Anubis’s throat. In shock, Anubis released Cas from his chokehold. Cas hit solid ground and heaved, Artemis’s shadow pulling Anubis away from him. From behind, Gabriel rested his sword against Anubis’s jugular. Anubis glanced up at Gabriel as Hermes, a snarl on his face. Gabriel grinned cruelly, his teeth glistening like a shark’s. Artemis removed the shadow hand from Anubis’s throat, allowing a recovered Cas to approach.

Cas met his brother’s eyes, then Artemis’s. He grimaced, raised his sword, and plunged it straight into Anubis’s chest.

Cas watched as the life faded from Anubis’s eyes, his body turning to ash.

Castiel, Gabriel, and Artemis cast away their weapons, taking a deep breath and staring at each other. Gabriel’s golden eyes sparkled with mirth. “We fucking did it, you guys.”

Artemis coughed pointedly.

“And lady,” Gabriel added curtly.

That’s when Cas felt his many wounds piercing into his skin, his powers not fast enough to heal them. He would have to sleep, now.

Gabriel seemed to sense this, because his happiness evaporated as he rushed forward. He held on to Cas’s shoulders. “Stay with me a minute, okay? Stay with me so I can-”

Castiel’s vision went black.

————

Jack left the dinner table like someone had branded his skin. “I have to go.”

————

Jack found Gabriel and a woman he hadn’t met before healing Castiel’s extensive wounds. Jack knelt silently by Castiel’s unconscious form, surprising Gabriel and the woman.

“Jack,” Gabriel said.

“How is he?” Jack asked.

“He’s all healed, but his powers are...volatile.” Gabriel swallowed, then remembered something. “Ah. Jack, this is Artemis.”

Jack nodded towards the woman. “You’re the goddess of the moon?”

“That’s me,” Artemis said kindly. “You remind me of my brother.”

Jack grinned. “I suppose I do have sunshine-y qualities.” Jack addressed Gabriel. “May I examine him?”

Gabriel reluctantly gave Jack some space. Jack used his powers to look at Castiel. “You’re right,” Jack said. “His powers are like an entirely different beast living inside him. Volatile. Have you tried the ritual?”

“Yes,” Artemis said, “it did nothing. His powers have latched onto him.”

“They will weaken, or they can be removed some other way.”

“It could take days, even weeks for his powers to wane,” Gabriel said.

The solution came to Jack like a tidal wave. He looked at Gabriel, his mouth forming an O.

Gabriel seemed to read the nephilim’s mind. He said warily, “I don’t think that would work.”

“We can try,” Jack said optimistically.

Gabriel sighed. “Go get him, then.”

————

“Wait, say that again.”

Gabriel huffed. “Saying it once is enough.”

Artemis smiled. “That’s why Hades has been so different lately.”

“I hope you mean good different.”

“I do.”

————

The only thing Dean saw on the cloud was Cas. There were people there, yes. And he was still afraid of heights, yes. But Cas was the only thing he cared about.

Dean, eyes glowing, examined Cas. It was as Jack said, darkness latching onto Cas’s very soul.

Dean spoke an Enochian spell his husband taught him, closing his eyes. He found himself inside a dark chamber, a host of monsters tormenting Cas.

He was inside Cas’s mind.

Dean felt a blinding light consume him. A tad fearful, Dean glanced down.

His soul was glowing.

Was this what Cas meant, when he said that Dean was a supernova?

Dean concentrated on his task, walking towards a chained projection of Cas, the monsters of his husband’s own making eyeing him hungrily. As the monsters noticed him, Dean’s soul glowed brighter and brighter, unprompted. The light became blinding, the monsters screaming at the intensity of it. The monsters burned slowly, their bodies turning to ash. As Dean moved closer to Cas, his soul faded to an almost imperceptible glow. A little shocked, Dean pushed his puzzlement aside in favor of Cas.

His husband was staring at him, his lips parted in awe. Dean was rarely on the receiving end of that look. He savored this moment.

Dean smiled bashfully. “Hi darlin’.”

Cas’s voice was scratchy. “Is it really you?”

“Bees’ wings beat two hundred times per second. It’s me, Cas.”

Cas looked at him like a starving man craving nourishment. He said dreamily, “my knight in shining armor. Won’t you set me free?”

Dean stared up at Cas. “This is your mind, darlin’. I think you can set yourself free.”

Cas pouted. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and concentrated, his chains and bonds fading away. He fell to the ground and stood a breath away from Dean. He grasped Dean’s jaw lightly. “You’re still my knight, beautiful.”

Dean melted into the kiss that followed, melted into Cas’s embrace. It was one of those kisses that sonnets wrote about when referring to true love. It was the kind that made fireworks explode behind Dean’s eyelids, the bond dancing in delight at their reunion. Dean pulled away with a soft exhale. “There was never any doubt about it, husband.”

“I don’t want to wake up.”

“That wouldn’t be ideal,” Dean breathed. He rested his forehead against Cas’s. “I’ve spent weeks without you, darlin’. Come home to me. I’ll be there when you wake up.”

Cas concentrated again, Dean’s consciousness returning back to Gabriel’s cloud.

As Dean regained his vision, Cas’s eyes fluttered open, an intense sapphire blue. Dean looked into Cas’s soul, and discovered that the darkness was gone.

Dean’s soul had extinguished it.

Cas stared at Dean for a few beats, readjusting to his surroundings. Dean responded in kind, smiling softly.

“Ahem.”

Oh, right. Dean forgot that he had quite a strange audience.

“Are we done with the staring?”

Cas rolled his eyes at Gabriel. Dean stood up and offered a hand. Cas took it, standing up dazedly.

Gabriel introduced Dean to Apollo and Artemis. Then, the gods asked to speak with Cas, so Dean spoke with Jack.

————

After speaking with the gods, Artemis asked to talk with Cas for a moment.

Castiel noted Artemis’s playful gaze right away. “What?”

“Nothing. Just...you’re kind of handsome, when you’re you. And Dean is a solid ten.”

Cas raised an eyebrow at Artemis. He hadn’t expected that from her. “Thanks?”

“You two are interesting, that’s all. I knew that you’d changed, but I didn’t realize what it was until I saw Dean. His soul is the brightest I’ve ever seen.”

Castiel nodded. “He’s been through so much, yet his soul tells a different story.”

“Almost like you, don’t you think?”

Cas chose not to reply.

Artemis continued, “it’s like you both have the light and dark inside you. Whenever you are the dark, he is the light, and vice versa. When one of you is the sun, the other is the moon. It’s fascinating.”

Castiel had never thought of it that way. Maybe Artemis had a point. “Are you saying that we’re destined? Because I’ve already heard that one.”

Artemis laughed. “Perhaps you are. And perhaps I’ll see more of you in the future. I’m starting to understand why Aphrodite hangs out with you all the time.”

Cas smiled genuinely. “I’d like that.”

————

After sending Cerberus back to Westminster Abbey, Castiel went home. The bunker received him warmly, updating Castiel on what he missed.

Cas divulged a few details of the war, since Kevin’s visions ended with Castiel stabbing Anubis.

It took a few days, but Cas returned to his domestic rhythm, feeling truly at ease once again.

————

After Castiel checked up on Mary and the angel children, he went to Gabriel’s cloud.

And saw him talking to Sam, with Jack keeping his distance.

Cas hid his presence, eavesdropping. Charlie had influenced him more than he thought.

“Friday?” Sam’s voice. “Anytime works for me. Are you sure that you’re-”

“I’m okay,” Gabriel said softly. “I can bring you here on Friday. I can cook, if you want.”

Castiel grinned, stifling laughs. This was golden.

“It’s a date,” Sam said.

Okay, now it was golden.

Cas strode forward, pretending that he had just arrived. He raised an eyebrow at Jack and Sam mock curiously. “Am I-”

“No,” Gabriel said, a little too quickly. “You’re fine.”

Sam cleared his throat. “I’ll just, um, go.”

“Okay. See you,” Gabriel said awkwardly.

“See you.” Jack took his cue, zapping him and Sam away.

Castiel waggled his eyebrows at Gabriel, making his brother blush an awful shade of red.

“Shut up,” Gabriel muttered.

————

“It’s that time again, bros,” Gabriel said to Castiel and Balthazar.

He held up the bottle of Holy Fire, his younger brothers applauding at the angelic alcohol’s reappearance. They all took a celebratory glass, drinking and laughing and healing.

————

It took another few days for Castiel to do something really bold. He heard the shower on in Dean’s bathroom and couldn’t help himself.

Cas shut the bedroom door, sneaking inside the bathroom, the door partially ajar. He heard Dean humming in the shower, and rolled his eyes fondly. Cas stripped out of his clothes, casting them away and replacing them with one of Dean’s old tees and sweatpants. He folded them and put them aside, listening to Dean’s oblivious humming.

Cas took a breath, pulling back the shower curtain. He slipped inside the shower, Dean stopping his humming.

Cas examined Dean’s body, observing the thousands upon thousands of freckles dotting his skin. Dean stared at Cas, water trailing beautifully down his body.

Castiel hadn’t done this in a long time, but Dean was clearly game for it.

Dean growled. “You drive me crazy, husband.”

Cas backed Dean against the shower wall, letting some of the spray caress his body. Cas whispered huskily, “would you take me any other way, beautiful?”

Dean shook his head, kissing Cas soundly.

————

Dean was surprised when he entered the dreamscape that night.

And found Cas dozing on the porch swing.

Dean smiled, approaching Cas soundlessly. Cas was curled up on the cushions, his chest rising and falling steadily, his face devoid of worry.

His husband looked truly angelic.

Without second guessing himself, Dean laid on the porch swing, the contraption swaying a little. He pushed a section of hair away from Cas’s forehead, inhaling his sweet scent.

A moment later, Cas’s breathing changed. Cas opened his eyes, smiling softly at Dean. “Hi.”

Dean asked playfully, “did I tire you out?”

Cas snorted, but admitted, “a little. Did I not satisfy you adequately?”

Dean laughed, pulling Cas into his arms. He said into Cas’s cheek, “you more than satisfied me, darlin’.”

“Good.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, Dean relishing in the feeling of Cas in his arms again. After a while, Dean had an idea. “Darlin’?”

“Hm?”

“Is it possible to make love in the dreamscape?”

Cas’s desirous eyes met Dean’s. “Let’s find out.”

**Author's Note:**

> The final part of this story arc will be out next weekend. Kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
